Unitary egg-turning device



p 1937- E. NAGEL, sR.. ET AL 2,092,555

UNITARY EGG TURNING DEVICE Filed May 6, 1955 Attorney Patented Sept. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in a unitary egg turning device and it more especially includes the features pointed out in the annexed claims.

The purpose of our invention is to provide unitary means for simultaneously turning a large number of separate egg holding racks, so as to avoid opening the doors of the different compartments and insure that all the racks are attended to at the same time and thus obviate the likelihood that they will not receive exactly the same treatment when the eggs in separate racks are turned independently of the eggs in other racks. Another purpose is to adapt our device to the manipulation of existing expedients wherein provision is made for operating the racks separately.

With these and other ends in view we illustrate in the accompanying drawing such instances of adaptation as will disclose the broad underlying features of the invention without limiting ourselves to the specific details shown thereon and described herein.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a multiple compartment incubator showing the door of one compartment open, with the racks tilted upward at the right hand edge.

Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 showing the racks and egg trays reversed or turned.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a bearing plate for the outer end of a turning rod set at an angle corresponding to Fig. 1

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the rod set at an angle corresponding to Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of an individual crank and. the link for connecting it to other cranks.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged side elevation of the master operating arm.

In practicing our invention we may use whatever alternatives or equivalents of structure that the exigencies of varying conditions may demand without departing from the broad spirit of the invention.

In some of the egg turning devices as used heretofore a rack for holding the egg trays must be actuated separately by means of a key lever which engaged the projecting flattened end of the rod from which the rack is supported. This arrangement did obviate opening the door of each compartment and disturbing the temperature and humidity conditions of the compartment but it does not eliminate the variable time factor in the care of a large group of incubators, between the individual attention to the first rack and the last one. With our device all the racks are operated at the same time, thus removing this last element of uncertainty.

In the conventional arrangement of isolated egg turning provisions, the usual cabinet I is divided into separate compartments 2, closed by doors 3. In each compartment a pair of tilting egg racks 4 are supported on separate turning rods II] which project through the front of the cabinet, above the doors. The front end of each rod is flattened similar to the part II, shown in Figs. 3 5 inclusive. In order to operate the individual racks a hand lever having a slotted opening at one end to fit over the. flattened end of any of the supporting rods is used to rock each rod approximately seventy degrees.

In order to provide for the unitary control of a plurality of rods we attach a separate crank 5 to the end of each rod I0. The cranks have slotted openings to pass over the flattened ends II. If desired set screws l3 may be provided to assist in holding the cranks on the rods. All the cranks are connected together bya link 6. Shouldered bolts l2 secure these parts to each other for unitary action.

As shown in the drawing an operating arm 1 takes the place of a crank 5. The upper end 8 of the arm is the equivalent of a crank 5. A

slotted opening and shouldered bolt l2 are pro-,

vided as in the case of the cranks. The arm 1 projects downward to an easily reached operating height. Any desired type of stops may be used to limit the extreme movements of the arm (not shown).

The arm I may be placed at the end compartment, or at any other position than that shown, wherever it may be the most convenient. The arm operates any individual rack with its egg trays and simultaneously, similarly operates all the other racks of a given incubator. The link 6 may if desired be extended to, at the same time, serve other incubators so that an entire group of incubators may be served as a single unit. This obviously means that the link 6 may be extended at either end (not shown) to be suitably connected to the similar links of other incubators.

What we claim is:

1. In egg turning devices, a plurality of separately pivoted egg supporting racks, a separate actuating and supporting rod for each rack, each rod having a flattened end, cranks, each of which has means including a slot that permits quick attachment to and detachment from any of the rods, a single link connecting the other ends of all the cranks, each crank being quickly detachable from the link, and a lever which is quickly attachable to and detachable from any of the rods at a point not far from one end. of the lever, the lever being quickly attachable to and detachable from the link at said end of the lever, said cranks and lever being so constructed that the lever may be quickly interchanged with any of the cranks.

2. In egg turning devices, a plurality of separate compartments, a plurality of separately pivoted egg-supporting racks in each compartment, 2, separate actuating and supporting rod for each rack, said rod extending outside of the compartment, a crank on each rod, a single link connecting all the cranks, means between the cranks and the link for pivotal connection therebetween, the end of each rod and a portion of the corresponding crank interfitting in such a manner that turning of the crank will turn the rod, and a single actuating arm for operating the link at a desired location, the arm having interfitting structure similar to that of each crank and capable of interfitting with each rod whereby the arm may be placed on the shaped end of any rod with its free end connected to the link as a substitute for a crank to thereby operate all the other cranks in one or more groups simultaneously.

EMIL NAGEL, SR. CLOVIS OBERLI. 

